Method of making tubing cleaners



April 26, 1949. R. c. LISTER I METHOD OF MAKING TUBING CLEANERS Filed Oct. 12, 1946 J6 miyToR 05606 lsfezj .BY v

ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 26, 1949 METHOD OF MAKING TUBING CLEANERS- Roscoe C. Lister, Borger, Tex., assignor to J. M. Huber Corporation, Borger, Tex., a corporation of Delaware Application October 12, 1946, Serial No. 702,938

8 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a tubing cleaner and, particularly, to a novel assembly and method for constructing the same which is useful for preventing and removing accumulations of paraffin and other substances which tend to clog the tubing of an oil well and restrict the flow of oil therethrough.

An oil Well generally comprises a casing, a string of smaller steel pipe inside the case and generally known as the tubing, a pump at the bottom of the well, and .a string of steel rods, commonly referred to as sucker rods, Within the tubing and extending down to the pump for operating the pump.

The crude oil generally contains paraflin and other substances which tend to congeal and precipitate out of the oil during the passage of the oil through the tubing. Such paraffin and other substances tend to deposit upon the walls of the tubing and to restrict the flow of oil therethrough. Such deposits are quite objectionable and various means and methods have been proposed for preventing the formation of such deposits and for removing deposits so formed. Such means and methods comprise the use of chemicals, electrical heating, and various mechanical scraping devices. Such means and methods are, in general, expensive and have other objectionable features.

A simple, inexpensive and efficient mechanical means for preventing and removing accumulations of .paraflin and the like from oil well tubings has been devised by C. E. Blackburn and is disclosed and claimed in his Patent No. 2,321,- 275 patented June 8, 1943. Such device comprises briefly one or more flat scraping blades fastened on a sucker rod which is reciprocated and intermittently rotated in the -oil well tubing. Such scraping blades are fastened to the sucker rod by U-bolts and the like. While such tubing cleaner of Blackburn has been commercially successful, it has been found difficult to fasten the blades to the sucker rod sulficiently firmly and there is a tendency for the blades to become loose in operation extending over a long period of time. My invention, disclosed and claimed hereinafter, is directed to an improvement over the structure of Blackburn and, particularly, to improved means and method for more securely fastening the scraper blades to the sucker rod.

It is an object of my invention to provide a simple, inexpensive and efficient tubing cleaner for oil wells. Another object is to provide new and improved means for more securely fastening the scraping blade of Patent 2,321,275 to the sucker rod. A further object is to provide a new and improved method for fastening a scraping blade to a sucker rod. A still further object is to provide an improved tubing cleaner and method for constructing the same. Other objects are to advance the art. Still other objects will appear hereinafter.

The above and other objects may be accomplished in accordance with my invention which comprises fastening a substantially flat steel scraping blade to a cylindrical sucker rod by placing the blade in desired position against one side of the rod, placing one or more U-shaped steel bands about the sucker rod so that the inner semi-circular surface of the band conforms to a semi-circular arc of the surface of the rod and the ends of the band extend toward the blade but terminate about 3 2 to about /s4 inch from the surface of the blade, forming a welding bead between one end of the band and the blade so as to attach the end of the band to the blade and, without permitting the aforesaid bead to cool, forming a second welding bead between the other end of the band and the blade so as to attach such other end of the band to the blade and then cooling the two welding beads substantially simultaneously. On cooling, the welding beads shrink or contract, drawing the band toward the blade and firmly clamping the sucker rod between the band and the blade under high pressures so as to substantially immovably fasten the blade to the sucker rod.

For a more complete understanding of my invention, the construction of the apparatus and the method of constructing the same, reference will be made to the following detailed description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters designate like .parts.

Fig. 1 is an end view of a tubing cleaner constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the structure of Fig. 1 with parts broken off for ease of illustration;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the fastening band employed in my invention;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the parts of the tubing cleaner in position for the formation of the welding beads and one form of suitable apparatus for assembling the tubing cleaner;

Fig. 5 is a side view of the structure of Fig. 4 with parts broken away for clearness of illustration.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, the numeral I0 designates the conventional cylindrical sucker rod of which only a portion is shown.

wide are employed for fastening each scraping blade to the sucker rod, one band being placed about 1 inch from each end of the blade and one in the middle. A single U-shaped band having a width corresponding substantially to the length of the scraping blade may be employed, if desired. Also, only the two end bands or more than three small bands may be used. Each band may be from about "1 inch to about inch thick but usually will be about inch thick. preferably, the band will be made of steel. The inner curved surface of the band is substantially semi-circular and conforms substantially to a semi-circular 'arc' of the surface of the sucker rod. Preferably, the arc of the inner curved surface of 'theband is formed with a radius equal to that of the sucker rod so that, When theband is placed over the sucker rod, a very snug fit is obtained. The legs of the 'U-shaped band will be substantially parallel and will be spaced apart r;

by a distance substantially equal to the diameter of the sucker rcd. Preferably the legs of the band are "spacedapart by a distance equal to the diameter offthe rod "so that considerable force 'will'b'e required to force the band down over the sucker rodandf'prddiice 1a force'dfit. The inner height of the band, that is the distance between the lines A and B of Fig. 3, will be about 1%; to about 7 of an inch less than the v diameter of the rod-so that, when the band is placed over the rod with the ends extending toward the scraping blade, each end will terminate about 3 toab'out inch from the surface of the blade. This provides a clearance for the formation-of the welding'bead it between the ends of the band 14 and the scraping blade l2 and the desired amount of contraction of the welding beadfto'produ'ce the maximum pressure the formation of the welding beads and the subsequent cooling thereof.

In the method of my invention, the blade l2 is placed upon the table I8, the sucker rod I0 is placed in position over the scraping blade, and the band I4 is placed in position above the sucker rod with its outer curved surface in the recess of the mallet 30 and with open ends extending toward the blade in straddling position relative to the sucker rod. Pressure is then exerted on the end of the lever 24 to force the band l4 down over the sucker rod so that the inner curved surface of the band fits snugly over the upper :necessary to immovably "hold the blade to the.

sucker rod. Substantially less clearance makes it dim'cu'lt to produce a ,proper welding bead between the end of thef-band and the surface of 'the' b'la'de, and causes insufficient contraction of the'bead, toproduce'the desired pres-sures. Substantially larger clearances tend to cause too great pressures so that the fastening is unstable and sufficiently large clearances may 'make it impossible to form a welding bead of a size to connect the band to thebl'ade.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 4 and 5, suitable apparatus for assembling the tubing cleaner comprises a base plate I18 supporting bearing standards 20 secured to the base plate by suitable bolts '22,. .Alever 24 is pivoted on -a rod 26'supported at the pper end of the bearing standards 20. "A mallet '30 is .pivotally supported on the lever 2 4 a short distance from the bearing standards "20. This mallet has an upper flat surface and an arcuat'elower surface adapted to fit over the outer curved surface of a U-band '14. 'The assembling apparatus 18,20, 22, 24, 2t, 28 and 30 is provided so that substantial pressures can 'be .placedon'the band M to force it down over the rod to maintain the entire tubing cleanerassembly under pressure during 'curvedsurface of the sucker rod. By employing a lever having 9. 6 to 1 advantage a pressure of as much as 780lbs. can be placed on the mallet byth'e exertion of about 130 lbs. on the of the lever. If necessary, the top of the mallet maybe given several sharp blows with a hammer in order to force the inner curved surface of the band 'into intimate contact with the outer curved surface of the "rod.

'With the parts new in assembled position as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, welding beads are formed connecting each end or the'band to the "blade. '-It "will generally *be impractical to form both beads simultaneously but it is generally desirable to form them'a's nearly "simultaneously as possible. Usually the one bead "will be formed and the other bead termed immediately thereafter "and before the-first bead'has had an opportunity *quicklycooled by di'rectingpn'eor more streams of "cool fluidagainst them. "A suitable cooling "sun "which produces excellent results in practice is a *mixturepf' compressed air and water.

in place "ofthe lever 24 of Figs. 4 and '5,the malletmay beforc'ed' down by other means'suc'h as anairorjhydraulic ram. 'An'a'ir ram exerting a pressure "of 2,000Tpounds' on the ring has been 'found to be 'part1c'ularly- "satisfactory in practice.

The blades cannot very "well be welded to the suckerfrods as the heat thus produced in the sucker rod Would'tend'to cause crystallization or internal stresses wpeset upthe'rein' w h'ich would 'ren'd'er the sucker rod'more 'ira'g'ile. Also, ifthe formation of "the "wlding beads 'in' accordance with my invention "is long d'elayed, andif Tthe beads a're allowedjito cool slowly,'there 'is a tendency for the heat to transfer to the sucker rods to similarly cause crystallization or internal stresses. For this latter reason .it'is preferable to form thebeads and cool themas promptly and quickly as possible to a temperature ibelow that which would tend to'cause crystallization .or i-nternal stresses in the sucker rod.

Preferably throughout the formation and cooling-of the welding beads it willbe desirable to maintain substantial pressures .on the band to force the band and rod tightly together and-the rod tightly against the blade. Such pressures may be; any pr essure Whioh is practicable and preferably will be from about 780 to about 2,000

air-tarot 5 pounds per inch of band. lvluch greater and far less pressures may be employed but without substantial advantages as it is only essential to employ such pressures as will insure close contact between the parts during the formation and cooling of the welding beads.

It will be seen that by my invention I have provided a novel method and means for securing the scraping blade to the sucker rod which has many advantages over the method and means disclosed by Blackburn in Patent 2,321,275. By my invention a tubing cleaner is produced in which the scraping blade is more firmly and securely fastened to the sucker red. It has been found diflicult to move a scraping blade, so secured, on the rod with a two pound ball pein hammer.

I claim:

1. The method of fastening a substantially fiat steel scraping blade to a cylindrical sucker rod which comprises placing the blade in desired position against one side of the rod, placing a U- shaped steel band about the sucker rod so that the inner semi-circular surface of the band conforms to a semi-circular arc of the surface of the rod and the ends of the band extend toward the blade but terminate about 3 5 to about inch from the surface of the blade, forming a welding bead between one end of the band and the blade so as to attach the end of the band to the blade and, without permitting the aforesaid bead to cool, forming a second welding bead between the other end of the band and the blade so as to attach such other end of the band to the blade and then cooling the two welding beads substantially simultaneously.

2. The method of fastening a substantially flat steel scraping blade to a cylindrical sucker rod which comprises placing the blade in desired position against one side of the rod, placing a U-shaped steel band about the sucker rod so that the inner semi-circular surface of the band conforms to a semi-circular arc of the surface of the rod and the ends of the band extend toward the blade but terminate about 3% to about inch from the surface of the blade, forming a welding head between one end of the band and the blade so as to attach the end of the band to the blade and, before the aforesaid head has cooled substantially, promptly forming a second welding bead between the other end of the band and the blade so as to attach such other end of the band to the blade and then quickly cooling the two welding beads substantially simultaneously.

3. The method of fastening a substantially flat steel scraping blade to a cylindrical sucker rod which comprises placing the blade in desired position against one side of the rod, placing a U-shaped steel band about the sucker rod so that the inner semi-circular surface of the band conforms to a semi-circular arc of the surface of the rod and the ends of the band extend toward the blade but terminate about 3 2 to about inch from the surface of the blade, forming a welding head between one end of the band and the blade so as to attach the end of the band to the blade and, before the aforesaid bead has cooled substantially, promptly forming a second welding bead between the other end of the band and the blade so as to attach such other end of the band to the blade and then quickly cooling the two welding beads substantially simultaneously by directing a stream of cool fluid against the beads.

4. The method of fastening a substantially flat steel scraping blade to a cylindrical sucker rod which comprises placing the blade in desired position against one side of the rod, pressing a. U-shaped steel band about the sucker rod so that the inner semi-circular surface of the band conforms to a semi-circular arc of the surface of the rod and the ends of the band extend toward the blade but terminate about a e to about inch from the surface of the blade, the band being preformed so that the legs thereof are spaced apart by a distance equal to the diameter of the rod and the inner semi-circular surface has a radius equal to the radius of the rod so as to produce a forced fit of the band over the rod, forming a welding bead between one end of the band and the blade so as to attach the end of the band to the blade and, without permitting the aforesaid bead to cool, forming a second welding bead between the other end of the band and the blade so as to attach such other end of the band to the blade and then cooling the two welding beads substantially simultaneously.

5. The method of fastening a substantially flat steel scraping blade to a cylindrical sucker rod which comprises placing the blade in desired position against one side of the rod, pressing a U- shaped steel band about the sucker rod so that the inner semi-circular surface of the band conforms to a semi-circular arc of the surface of the rod and the ends of the band extend toward the blade but terminate about /32 to about /64 inch from the surface of the blade, the band being preformed so that the legs thereof are spaced apart by a distance equal to the diameter of the rod and the inner semi-circular surface has a radius equal to the radius of the rod so as to produce a forced fit of the band over the rod, forming a welding bead between one end of the band and the blade so as to attach the end of the band to the blade and, before the aforesaid head has cooled substantially, promptly forming a second welding bead between the other end of the band and the blade so as to attach such other end of the band to the blade and then quickly cooling the two welding beads substantially simultaneously.

6. The method of fastening a substantially fiat steel scraping blade to a cylindrical sucker rod which comprises placing the blade in desired posi tion against one side of the rod, pressing a U-- shaped steel band about the sucker rod so that;

the inner semi-circular surface of the band con forms to a semi-circular arc of the surface of the rod and the ends of the band extend toward. the blade but terminate about /32 to about /645 inch from the surface of the blade, the band being preformed so that the legs thereof are spaced. apart by a distance equal to the diameter of the: rod and the inner semi-circular surface has a radius equal to the radius of the rod so as to produce a forced fit of the band over the rod, forming a welding bead between one end of the band and the blade so as to attach the end of the band to the blade and, before the aforesaid bead has cooled substantially, promptly forming a second welding bead between the other end of the band and the blade so as to attach such other end of the band to the blade and then quickly cooling the two welding beads substantially simultaneously by directing a stream of cool fluid against the beads.

'7. The method of fastening a substantially fiat steel scraping blade to a cylindrical sucker rod which comprises placing the blade in desired position against one side of the rod, placing a U- shaped steel band about the sucker rod so that 7 the innersemiacircular surface. of the band. can,- torzns, tea semi-circular arc of. the surface at the 17 d and the endsof the band extend. toward; the blade hl t terminate about /32 to. about /54 inch {1101;}; the surface of the. blade, formin a. weldmg. head. between one end of the band; and. the blade so as to attach the. end oi. the. band. to the blade and, without permitting. the aforesaid bead to. .0 .1. formin a se ond. welding h ad. etw n other; end; or the ban and the. blade. so as; to attach such other, end; of the band to. the. blade. and; then cooling, the two. we1din .b.eads .substan.- t ially simultaneously, maintaining substantial.

pressure on the band, to force the, band. and rod;

toward the blade. throu hout. the form n and; cooling of the weldin beads.

8. The method of fastening a substantially flat, steel scljalging blade, to a. cylindrical sucker: rod which comprises placing. theJblade in desired posie tion against. one side of the rod, placing a U}.- shaped steel hand about the sucker rod sothat. the inner semi-circular surface of the bandiconforms to a semi-circular arc. of the surface of the IQd' andthe ends ofjthe band extend'toward.

the blade but terminate about /32, to. about 3X64.

inch from the surface of the blade; forming a welding bead, between one end" of the band, and

REFERENGE S 'CI'EED The following, references are of record ln'the file. of this patent;

UNITED STATES PATENTSJ Number Name Date 137.4%;57'6 Merriam Feb. 25,1930 21113811077 Gray Dec. 6,v 1938' 232592923 Clark Oct; '14, 1941 1213211275 Blackburn June 8; I943 2';3f25;113 Craig" July 27;. 194 3 5213351153 Lauck Nov. 23,. 1943' 224021223 Wright June 18;.19,4'6- 254121271 Kercher Dec. 10;. 1946' 

